2021 Online Summer School of Food Design

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS AWARDS: existing completed examples

Project title

2021 Online Summer School of Food Design

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Description

OSFD is a transdisciplinary multimodal experiential learning platform which combines topics around food, creativity and sustainability (social, environmental or economic), to break the barriers of our current means of education. Our courses are available to all, in the most remote locations. Our goal is to empower a talented cohort of enthusiasts dedicated to improving our food systems. We successfully released 4 online courses since Summer '21 through our international network of collaborators.

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Does your project refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations?

Has your project benefited from EU programmes or funds?

Has your project won an EU prize?

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When was your project implemented?

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Please provide a summary of your project

Founded by Dr. Francesca Zampollo, PhD and powered by Food Design Nation, the 2021 Summer School was launched in July 2021. We curated, created, produced and released 4 online courses with 5 members of our collaborative network - from India, France, Mexico, Germany and the UK - including self-discovery through Creative Food Photography, material science and business Design From Waste, Sensory Storytelling Strategies through choux pastry, and Food Gamification through culinary escape games. We engaged students from 125 countries.

OSFD is a transdisciplinary multimodal experiential learning platform. We collaborate with people from all around the world to offer online courses around food, creativity and sustainability of all kinds - social, environmental as well as economic. We envision breaking the barriers of our current means of education and making it accessible through the internet to everyone, located in the most remote geographies. 

We select our online courses keeping in mind affordability (with free courses) and social inclusion to support those who are thinking about changing their career path and would like to better understand the world of food design. Food Design includes interventions by diverse professionals anywhere along the food chain - from production to procurement, processing, preservation, storage, transportation, display and sale, preparation, consumption and disposal. 

We believe that learning is a lifelong journey, and it's imperative we empathise with one another in order to continue to improve ourselves, and our food systems. Through our mindful, diverse and resilient community of creators, we are taking steps to create the world we want to live in. We believe that food is an essential and universal language that connects all of us and helps to blur the boundaries and differences between us, and we wish to democratise this knowledge. The Summer School helped us pilot a replicable model for online education.

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability (including circularity) and how these have been met.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

In the OSFD's Summer School project in 2021 we introduced 4 online courses, all of which focused on how to transform our perspectives on everyday, mundane items through food. By reusing and reinventing everyday objects around us, we enabled students to be connected to food - the source of life - at every step along the way. Our students got access to the learning materials and pre-recorded videos for a whole year, they could rewatch them over and over.

Environmental and economic sustainability. As we provided all necessary information online we kept unnecessary printing and waste to a minimum. Design From Waste focused on the circular economy. Considering environmental and economic sustainability, students learnt how to create usable objects from kitchen waste through hands-on workshops delivered virtually and then helping them formulate business plans and strategy in order to make their creative projects economically viable. Upcycled food, focused on zero waste and zero mile principles.

Social sustainability. Creative Food Photography encouraged students to find their own creative voice, increasing their emotional wellbeing during trying pandemic times. Students were able to express themselves through something we all do on social media everyday - connecting with each other by sharing pictures of our food! We also partnered with schools in developing countries including India, Mexico and Guatemala, and delivered our courses to empower creative innovation and enable access to our expert international professionals.

Circularity. Our goal is to empower a talented cohort of enthusiasts dedicated to improving our global food systems, with the ultimate circularity of lifelong trans-disciplinary teaching-learning processes. Through the Online School of Food Design, we're fostering a circular model of education, one where we can learn in order to continually innovate and eventually lead.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these have been met.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

Food design goes beyond just food styling. We pride ourselves on the fact that design and beauty is an essential part of our field. But food design is not just about making things look pretty on a plate (that’s food styling). In fact, it goes far beyond - from designing dishes to packages, cutlery and everything for food, events, full services and even entire food systems or interventions in between. And that's why we at OSFD believe in the power of online education.

Intuitive, design driven experiences. For the 2021 Online Summer School, we carefully redesigned the Online School of Food Design, with the goal to improve student experience through mindful rebranding, UI and UX considerations. Members of our team come from various creative backgrounds - a design thinking academic, an architect, a communications expert, and a food artist. We intentionally picked forms, symbols, typography and colours to capture students' attention and communicate the values of our school.

Circularity of knowledge sharing. The opening theme for the Summer School shows the OSFD logo forming from nothing and the closing theme shows the logo collapsing into nothing - symbolising the circular learning-unlearning model we wish to foster by breaking the barriers of current food education. We worked with a talented international team to create bespoke sonic and visual experiences, the signature opening tunes for all summer school content.

Multimodal learning. Courses varied in modality and formats to give the highest quality experience even through an online platform: Students received personal feedback from our teachers on their creative journeys of self-discovery through Creative Food Photography. Students received tangible culinary escape games delivered to their home in order to play with and learn from through Food Gamification. Design From Waste taught students how to create usable objects from kitchen waste and formulate business plans to make their projects economically viable.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion (equal opportunities, public participation, citizen engagement, co-design, universal design, accessibility, affordability, etc.) and how these have been met.
Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context

Equal opportunities, public participation and citizen engagement. We sought out and embraced the expertise of 5 multicultural professionals, each from distinct backgrounds. Considering each one’s credibility (it is our responsibility, after all, being the go-to place to discover food design), we kept an open mind. Unlike traditional criteria, we didn’t limit our collaborations based on the number of years in the industry; instead we considered ideas collaborators brought forth through their work, aligned with our vision.

Collaborative co-design. The spirit of collaboration energises us and runs in our blood. For the Summer School, our team worked with authors to help them create courses aligned with their personal visions, as well as the Summer School’s goals. Teachers added content and we helped make it happen. We promise teachers that their course is a project we'll work on together, side by side.

Universal design and accessibility. Our digital presence enables us to reach those who wish to learn despite being located in the most remote places. We currently have students from 125 different countries including Andorra, Aruba, Belize, Fiji, Mongolia, Togo and Zambia, among others. Our activity on popular platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, helps maximise discoverability. For the Summer School, we regularly hosted live talks to introduce the world of Food Design to everyone who is interested.

Affordability. We offered free courses and online webinars to help spread the joy and potentiality of food design. Our courses varied in pricing, from free up to a few hundred Euros (in order to cover logistical costs of delivery of tangible packages to every student in the case of Food Gamification). With our reasonable pricing, we wish to give equal opportunity to everyone who is interested in the field of Food Design to learn without the heavyweight financial burden of a master’s degree (which costs several thousands of euros and years of time).

Please explain how these three dimensions have been combined in your project.
Please highlight how this approach can be exemplary

Through OSFD we give equal opportunities for everyone to enrol in any of our courses which are 100% online and can be reached from the most remote corners of the world with an internet connection. Besides our paid courses, we offer free courses and online webinars, free Instagram Live talks to introduce the world of Food Design to everyone who is interested. We believe that food is an essential and universal language that connects all of us and helps to blur the boundaries and differences between us, and we wish to democratise this knowledge.

Inclusion + Sustainability:

1. Courses focusing on self discovery.
2. Courses in English for everybody.
3. Course proposal open to authors from different cultural and professional backgrounds, to reflect the heterogeneous nature of FD.

Inclusion + Aesthetic:

1. Intuitive, self explanatory UI with pre-recorded videos. While redesigning the platform for the Summer School, we collaborated with excellent artists to elevate UX beyond simple functionality. Vibrant colours give our students motivation to connect and learn, in their personal online account they can follow their course schedule and readjust it to their own pace.
2. Varying learning modalities (written, visual, audio-visual, hands-on, etc.) and a mix of pre-recorded (encourage self-paced learning) and live interaction with authors/teachers (encourage personal exchange and Q&A).
3. Social media and newsletter outreach that is personal and approachable.

Sustainability + Aesthetic:

1. Hands-on course content and tangible components to learn with all 5 senses. 
2. Interaction with stakeholders through webinars and other social media events; food and culture help people connect and blur the boundaries and differences between us.
3. Our content and our philosophy encourages people to see, experience and ultimately design food as something pleasurable; the effect of a whole chain starting from soil and seeds, going beyond disposal: an unending circularity.

Please give information on the results/impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for

Our Summer School introduced 352 new students from 125 countries to Food Design over 4 months through our beautifully designed and easy to use platform.

Beauty, sustainability and inclusivity are at our core - with intentionally redesigned UI/UX and affordable content offered at reasonable prices in the most remote locations. All courses offered are aligned with our 3 pillars - food, creativity and sustainability.

The opening theme shows our logo forming from nothing and the closing theme shows the logo collapsing into nothing - symbolising the circular learning-unlearning model. Breaking the barriers of food education has been our goal - by offering multimodal learning/teaching experiences that go beyond pre-recorded videos.

We embraced transdisciplinary approaches for the Summer School. Our authors came from five different backgrounds - architecture, industrial design, material science, business design and entrepreneurship - bringing their unique perspectives to food, encouraging interventions across food value chains.

Design from waste urged students to reconsider domestic waste to develop new materials. Sensory Storytelling Strategies encouraged students to work across media and embrace new processes to communicate projects. Food Gamification introduced new business models to struggling establishments. Creative Food Photography equipped students with the tools required to lead an improved quality of life.

Affordability and social inclusion were met by giving the opportunity to study from anywhere, anytime. Students from developing nations benefited from our free and reasonably priced courses. We are more affordable (time+money) than a university degree, the only alternative to learn food design. 

We taught students various methods, tools and interactions with our teachers through participatory processes that provided necessary guidance, which facilitated the self-assessment of students’ work, highlighting the replicability of our model to scale.

Please explain how citizens and civil society were involved in the in the design and/or implementation of the project.
Please also explain the benefits that derived from their involvement.

The Food Design discipline is still growing and most food designers experience their work being misunderstood both by the food industry and the design industry. In selecting our authors and reaching out to our customers we partnered with Food Design Nation, with whom we share the goal of building community based on trust. Food Design practitioners proposed their own course ideas based on their personal and professional backgrounds, and brought their unique perspectives to the project. 

Benefits for authors: 

• Authors saw their knowledge and skills being acknowledged and valued.
   
• Authors had the opportunity to fully express and share their creativity through education. 
   
• Authors got to create a course for eager, motivated and passionate people around the world and generate more income from their creative knowledge. 
   
• Authors can now use their course on the school platform to further their credibility and build their personal brand in this growing industry.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the project addressed by providing local solutions

Food waste: Design From Waste addressed the circularity of food waste and upcycling. Students produced objects using biowaste from their own homes. This inspired students to use a hyperlocal approach to food waste starting from their own kitchens.

Access to affordable education: We provided affordable courses anywhere in the world. As our global community is still growing, the only option to learn Food Design is a university degree, which is expensive and limited to a few locations around the world.

Community in isolation: Our passionate community is driven by collective purpose – to work on food challenges, together, from different creative backgrounds, focused on sustainability. Born from the need for a space to cultivate learning, enable dialogue, promote empathy and acceptance, our sister company, Food Design Nation, enables us to find unity in isolation.

Breaking barriers of education: Our multimodal learning/teaching experiences go beyond pre-recorded videos, empowering those eager to upskill and foray into Food Design. Embracing sensory tools, hands-on learning and transdisciplinary approaches, we’re redefining and pioneering the montessori education methodology for adults.

Pandemic-struck HORECA: Restaurants and employees were the worst hit by the pandemic. Food Gamification taught business owners to integrate revival strategies, using escape games, demonstrating how digital media could help them engage loyal customers. Design From Waste taught students fundamentals of business design to develop ready-for-market, economically viable solutions. 

Global lockdowns: Confined to our homes, we didn’t have access to stimulating sources of entertainment. We brought various options to students’ screens, in the safety of their homes, with opportunities for upskilling, using accessible materials, and provided useful tools for broad audiences with a deeper purpose - eg. emotional healing through food photography to support wellbeing.

Please highlight the innovative character of the project as compared to mainstream practices in the field of the project.

There’s plenty of space for innovation in the field of education. We position ourselves as an online education platform, but with the benefits of both physical and online education systems.

Vs. Mainstream food design education through traditional universities which lack flexibility and are more time and money intensive than OSFD. Our students join us from anywhere, anytime, across time zones from 125 countries including Algeria, Aruba, Barbados, Fiji, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Zambia. Students can rewatch course content numerous times, on multiple devices. To accommodate all learning abilities, we allow students to study at their own speed, revisiting lectures for deeper understanding if desired. Our 30-day money back guarantee allowed students to be sure they get value for their money, something that traditional higher education does not allow.

Vs. Other online education platforms, we thrive on providing multimodal learning/teaching experiences that go beyond simple pre-recorded videos. Summer school offered:

• Mix of pre-recorded + self-paced lessons + live interactive sessions. By growing their network with us, students pursue meaningful collaborations and find work opportunities through OSFD and our partner, Food Design Nation.
• Hands-on workshops allowed  students to be active participants, not just passive listeners.
• Opportunities for in-person interactions enable real connections via in-course messages, personal coaching and opportunities to showcase final work.

3) Most online schools often focus on content that the market is ready for. Our Summer School focused on people and their own unique content. This is our biggest differentiator. Our goal is to show every corner of the Food Design discipline through the eyes of those who explore it and pioneer it. Moreover, the courses that we have selected all respond to two or more of our pillars: sustainability, creativity, food. These allow us to always be aligned to our values.

Please explain to the potential of transferring the projects’ results or learnings to other interested parties and contexts.
Please provide clear documentation, communication of methodology and principles in this context.

Through the Summer School program we gained a deeper understanding of who the other interested parties and contexts are for us. These include authors (teachers), universities (design, hospitality, anthropology, innovation degree programs), high schools (elective programs), corporate companies for workshops, standalone students who are passionate about food+sustainability+creativity, as well as professionals who want to continue education and switch career paths to more meaningful ones.

After seeing the success of the Summer School Program in 2021, our plan is to modify, repeat, and scale the model in the future in the following ways:

• By involving more authors to create new courses and offer coaching to individuals, in order to grow, to widen our palates, and provide them a platform to spread their knowledge. 
   
• By extending our offers to institutions and universities through bespoke workshops.
   
• By extending our offers to professionals who want to continue education with a focus on developing nations.
  - Guatemala, India, and Mexico (Phase 1, currently ongoing)
  - Uganda, Costa Rica and Nigeria (Phase 2, scheduled)
   
• By introducing foundations of Food Design early on for elementary and high school students, to inspire them to explore the possibilities of non-traditional career paths.
   
• By growing our team and increasing outreach to more potential clients through our affiliate program. 
   
• By partnering with larger organisations to host bootcamps, educational conferences and food design festivals.
   
• By transcribing and translating our content into multiple languages (Currently our content is in English)
  - Spanish (Phase 1)
  - French (Phase 2)
  - Hindi (Phase 3)
  - Arabic (Phase 4)
   

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